Early ReviewersNick Wood

Editor Donna Scott has scoured magazines, anthologies, webzines and obscure genre corners to discover the very best science fiction stories by British and British-based authors published during 2021. Two dozen stories, varying greatly in subject matter and style, from superb technological mystery to conflict on very alien worlds, from sweet, sad stories symptomatic of the tense times we have lived through to tales optimistic for better times to come, and even a dash of wry humour here and there for good measure.

Donna Scott is a director and recent chair of the BSFA, as well as being a distinguished poet, writer, and stand-up comedian. Donna is also a free-lance editor who has worked behind the scenes for a number of major publishers over the course of several years.

Contents

Introduction – Donna Scott

Distribution – Paul Cornell

Stealthcare – Liz Williams

Down and Out Under the Tannhauser Gate – David Gullen

Me Two – Keith Brooke and Eric Brown

The Andraiad – Tim Major

Bloodbirds – Martin Sketchley

Going Home – Martin Westlake

Okamoto’s Lens – A.N. Myers

Love in the Age of Operator Errors – Ryan Vance

Stone of Sorrow – Peter Sutton

Henrietta – T.H. Dray

A History of Food Additives in 22nd Century Britain – Emma Levin

The Trip – Michael Crouch

The Ghosts of Trees – Fiona Moore

The Opaque Mirror of Your Face – Russell Hemmell

More Sea Creatures to See – Aliya Whiteley

The End of All Our Exploring – Gary Couzens

How Does My Garden Grow? – David Cleden

Girls’ Night Out – Teika Marija Smits

Bar Hopping for Astronauts – Leo X. Robertson

In Aeturnus – Phillip Irving

A Spark in a Flask – Emma Johanna Puranen

A Pall of Moondust – Nick Wood

About the Authors

Acknowledgements

In A Desiccating World, Who Gets To Drink? Nick Wood’s debut novel Azanian Bridges was shortlisted for major awards on three continents: Africa (the NOMMO Award), Europe (the BSFA Award), and North America (the Campbell and the Sidewise Awards). This, his second novel, is even stronger. The year is 2048. Climate change has brought catastrophe and water has become the most precious commodity on Earth. Water companies play god and determine the fate of millions. In Africa, Graham Mason struggles to come to terms with the changing world and save his marriage to Lizette, who is torn between loyalty to their relationship and to her people. In Northern California, Arthur Green battles to find ways of saving water and root out corruption, even when his family are threatened by those he seeks to expose. Determined to uncover the truth on two continents, Graham, Liz, and Art are caught up in a new uprising, a desperate attempt to challenge those set on appropriating the world’s remaining water for their own gain. In the FreeFlow Corporation they face a common enemy, but do they have any hope of prevailing against a power that is so ruthless and so entrenched? As the planet continues to thirst and slowly perish, will water ever fall? Water Must Fall is a gripping saga of human struggle, political intrigue, corporate fraud and murder in a near future where water is worth killing for. “This is the story of people struggling with a climate situation that is out of their control and yet determines everything about their lives. It’s a situation that soon may become universal, so there’s an extra edge to this novel that makes it especially compelling.” – Kim Stanley Robinson "Nick Wood’s futuristic cli-fi is a layered political drama that races you across a maze of suspense-filled intrigue." – Aurealis Available as kindle, e-pub, or a pdf file.

“I read Bridges with much pleasure… Chilling and fascinating.” – Ursula K. Le Guin In a modern day South Africa where Apartheid still holds sway, Sibusiso Mchunu, a young amaZulu man, finds himself the unwitting focus of momentous events when he falls foul of the system and comes into possession of a secret that may just offer hope to his entire people. Pursued by the ANC on one side and Special Branch agents on the other, Sibusiso has little choice but to run. Azanian Bridges is a truly ground-breaking book from South African-born author Nick Wood. This, his debut novel, is a socially acute fast-paced thriller that propels the reader into a world of intrigue and threat, leading to possibilities that examine the conscience of a nation. “A very good novel indeed; the emotional intelligence is as high as its political insightfulness – the whole is compelling and moving.” – Adam Roberts “A deeply-felt examination of Apartheid and its lingering effects through the lens of speculative fiction... challenging and thought-provoking.” – Lavie Tidhar “This is a gut-puncher of a novel; original, brilliantly written, and a page-turner of note.” – Sarah Lotz “Vivid, pacy, quietly furious, beautifully observed, with an ending that liberates and lacerates in equal measure.” – Stephanie Saulter “Politically acute and powerful... in many ways a ‘text book’ story because it’s so well done.” – Ian Watson The book is offered in mobi, epub, and pdf formats.